Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This book went into an entirely different direction than I had anticipated. On the positive side, Yeine and the enfeda are completely unlike any other characters that I have encountered so I found their motivations and reactions surprising. This kept the book fresh and interesting even if occasionally confusing as it was difficult to relate. Because of that, I never felt fully invested with the characters and didn’t get emotionally caught up in the book which has me unsure I I’d like to continue the series.

The storyline jumped around a bit and I found the inconsistencies frustrating. There wasn’t much time for a buildup in the tension as the full story happens in the duration of one week. In that sense, this book felt like it wanted to be a fantasy epic, and yet didn’t quite commit to the political intrigue, and complexity that requires. I slipped into the expectation that the book was more of a young adult genre, but then something graphic would occur and I’d be jarred back into reality .

I still have mixed feelings about the story (and have heard the series improves as it continues), but I both really enjoyed and found the book falling a bit flat.

Warning: Contains repeated violence and sexual content.

Rating: 3 stars!

Who should read it? Folks into fantasy books with an experimental slant.